Prioritising Applications

Your priority on the scheme is determined by your band and registration date.

All eligible applications will be placed, by the Norwich Home Options officers, into one of the following five bands according to the level of housing need:

Emergency Band

Gold Band

Silver Band

Bronze Band

Low Need Band

The criteria for each band is shown below:

Emergency Band:

If you are placed in the Emergency Band this will usually only be valid for 6 weeks (although the particular council can extend this in certain circumstances).

Applicants threatened with serious and immediate violence

Applicants accepted as unintentionally homeless and in priority need

Applicants with very urgent and serious medical needs

Applicants where a emergency prohibition order has been served on their current property

Applicants requiring urgent hospital discharge where their current property is totally unsuitable for their needs

Applicants with a combination of high needs

Other very extreme circumstances

Gold Band:

Applicants threatened with Homelessness, within 12 weeks, through no fault of their own, who have been assessed by a housing adviser as likely to be in priority need.

Applicants with high medical needs

Applicants with high welfare needs

Applicants where a prohibition order or demolition order has been served on their current property

Overcrowding - applicants lack two or more bedrooms

Existing Home Option tenants under occupying by two or more bedrooms and prepared to move in to significantly smaller accommodation, or occupying an adapted property that they no longer require.

Applicants in supported housing/hostels who participate in the hostel move on agreement and are assessed as needing to move on.

Significant evidence of harassment or violence where a change of accommodation could be reasonably expected to alleviate the problem.

Applicants with a combination of medium needs

Silver Band:

Applicants with significant medical needs as determined by the particular council

Applicants with medium welfare needs as determined by the particular council

Applicants who are homeless or threatened with homelessness who are assessed by the particular scheme council as not to be in priority need

A hazard awareness notice has been served by the Private Sector Housing Team, of the particular scheme council, on the applicant's current property. In relation to a category 1 or 2 hazard at the applicant's home where the remedies needed to reduce the hazard will require the property to be vacated for a significant period of time; or the cost of the remedies are beyond the means of the applicant; or the remedies will make the property unsuitable for occupation by the applicant

Existing Home Option tenants who are under occupying by 1 bedroom and are willing to move to smaller accommodation.

Applicants lacking one bedroom.

Applicants with child(ren) aged 10 or under, living in a maisonette or a flat without a garden on the same level as the property.

Bronze Band:

Applicants with one of the assessed needs as detailed in emergency, gold or silver band but who do not have a local connection to the particular scheme council area

Applicants who, following a homelessness application, have been deemed by the particular scheme council to be in priority need but are intentionally homeless.

Applicants with one of the assessed needs as detailed in emergency, gold or silver band but who have been assessed for reduced preference.

Low Need Band:

All other applicants

What determines my registration date?

All applicants will be awarded a registration date. This is essentially the date you applied to join the Norwich Home Options housing register. This date will determine who is successful in being offered a property where two or more people from the same band apply for the same property. The date that will be used is as follows:

Statutorily homeless applicants – the date that they applied as homeless to Norwich City Council.

Emergency band – the date of award of emergency band (if the applicant is statutorily homeless and currently accommodated in bed and breakfast accommodation or its equivalent then it would be the date of the homelessness application)

All other applicants (including transfers) the date their registration form was received for assessment by Norwich City Council.

If your circumstances change and you move up a band then your new registration date will be the date you informed us of the change. If your circumstances change and you move down a band then you will keep your original registration date.